Digital Resources and The Web

Image Courtesy of Family and Media

The Deep Web

I must say, the size of the World Wide Web boggles my mind! I obviously knew it was huge, but I had no idea that a large percentage of information on the World Wide Web is not even accessible with a search engine! It turns out only a sliver of the World Wide Web is accessible through a "Google" search. This is called the “Surface Net”. The rest of the information is called the “Deep Web”, “Invisible Web” or “Hidden Web” which includes information like online banking and web-mail. Come to think of it, I’m really glad my banking information is not available from doing a Google search!!!  Much of the information on the Deep Web is protected behind a paywall or requires passwords or security codes.

Online Encyclopedias

image courtesy of mainlib.ubd.edu.ph

image courtesy of shutterstock.com

"Wikipedia" or "Britannica" that is the question??? It turns out both Wikipedia and Britannica are both useful online encyclopedias that serve different audiences for different purposes. Wikipedia is a useful place to begin with a general search. For beginners who are searching for basic information on a topic this resource is free and easily accessible. One of the advantages of Wikipedia is that is reaches such a broad audience far and wide. Britannica is useful, on the other hand, for people who are much past a general search and looking for specific detailed information on a topic. Encyclopedia Britannica is written by authors who are qualified "experts" in their fields, some of which are "Nobel Peace" winners. Wikipedia, however is a publicly owned and managed encyclopedia which has thousands of contributors, and editors.

Dictionaries
Are print copies still necessary??? I believe that the consensuses is that in elementary schools it is still valuable to have a few print copies of dictionaries, particularly those with pictures for young students acquiring language skills . However, in middle schools and high schools, print copies of dictionaries are going the way of the dodo bird. Since the advent of the invention of google translate it is quick and easy to check spelling print dictionaries are just not practical. It is particularly amazing to witness new ESL students who cannot speak a word of English communicating with a teacher through an iPad and google translate!

There are two philosophies of dictionaries, the descriptive view and the prescriptive view. In a nutshell, the descriptive view believes that language is constantly changing and evolving and that dictionaries should reflect those changes. The prescriptive view however believes that the role of dictionaries is to set standards to prevent slang and jargon from being used or included in dictionaries. 

Unabridged dictionaries attempt to include all of the words in the language that are currently in use when the dictionary is printed and could contain up to 265,00 words! Abridged dictionaries selectively choose words based on a certain them, such as easy level words for young students, or french-English translation words etc. 

Image courtesy of St. Paul's High School Media Center

References

Riedling, Ann, Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Edition). Linworth.pp. 37-49; 61-77.

     

  

                    

                      Lib. 467 Assignment 3



The purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of the present Reference Services available in the Library Learning Commons at School X and to outline a plan to improve the Reference Services going forward. For this report, I will be focusing specifically on the Online Reference Services.


Current Reference Services available in Library X

The current online reference resources available through the school district are not currently accessible to students through the Library Learning Commons Website at School X. However, teachers are able to login in to the district website and access the following online resources through the district web-page:

• World Book Encyclopedia
• National Geographic Kids
• KnowBC
• Gale Canada in Context
• Gale Science in Context
• Gale Global Issues in Context
• Gale Virtual Reference Library

As a result, students at School X are not using the online reference resources available through the district unless their classroom teacher has created a link for them and is using the resources in class.


Why is there a need for change?

Students at School X should have easier access to online reference resources and be guided in using those resources by the Teacher-Librarian in the Library Learning Commons at School X. Without access and promotion of these reference resources from the Library Learning Commons, students will be missing out on valuable tools for Inquiry Projects and Resource Based Learning. This lack of use of online resources will also cause students to fall behind in acquiring important 21st century information literacy skills. In the Leading Learning Document-Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada (2014), Appendix 6, it states that “The Virtual Learning Commons needs the same attention as the physical environment. It is an organized but collaborative space for learning. It is not a replacement for the physical LLC but an extension of it to make the LLC available to students and learners 24/7. Organize links to useful technology tools. • Develop a space to plan and curate inquiry learning experiences such as virtual knowledge building centers. (Koechlin and Loertscher, 2014) “


Affected student learning example

At grade 4 student at School X was recently doing a report on fossils. He was absent from school for a few days as he had a bad cold. When he returned to school, the library wasn’t open for book exchange so he wasn’t able to sign out any books about fossils. He was trying to answer his inquiry question of how are bones and fossils affected by different temperatures and are fossils preserved longer at certain temperatures? On the weekend he went to the public library to look for a book on fossils and found 2, but one was written for a high school reading level and one for an adult reading level. He still signed them out anyway as he needed some information for his report. At home his mom also suggested doing a google search on fossils on his iPad. He went to Wikipedia and found some information. Although he didn’t understand some of the words as it was intended for an adult reading audience.


If School X had links to online reference resources from the Library Learning Commons, the grade four student could have accessed those online resources from his home on the weekend. Also those online links would have led him to information that is more suitable for a grade 4 student audience. For example, the district online resource of National Geographic Kids is written for students of approximately grade 3-7. After inputting the word fossils, videos, magazine articles and eBooks pop up with information about fossils. A feature I really like about National Geographic Kids is that there is an audio feature to have the text read aloud if desired. Likewise, World Book Kids offers similar research features which yields results of videos and textual information at the elementary level for students.


A Plan of Action for School X

A plan moving forward to improve online reference materials at School X is threefold. The three main items that need to be addressed.include:

• Updating the School Library Learning Commons website to become a Virtual Library Learning Commons including links to the Online District Resources World Book Kids, and National Geographic Kids as well as a link to the Teacher-Librarians email for reference questions

• Adding a new Online Reference called Discovery Education Canada

• Working with the students and teachers regularly in the Library Learning Commons using the online references so students and staff are familiar with the online resources and their contribution towards student learning

STEP 1

The first step involves updating the School Library Learning Commons Website. When a student logs onto the school website and then clicks on library, there should to be links to many other resources , including the library catalog, recommended book lists, internet safety, etc. This is where a link would be useful that would say Online Learning Resources. Upon clicking on that link, students would be redirected to the above mentioned online reference resources. This would make it easy and fast to access online resources. I would also recommend adding a link to the TL’s email so that a reference interview can be conducted on-line. If the student has a specific research request they could email the T-L who can respond at his/her earliest convenience.


STEP 2

Secondly, I recommend adding Discovery Education Canada to the list of available online Resources for students and staff to use. The advantage of Discovery Education Canada is that it includes a board builder program where students can build an online interactive board on a research topic with video clips, images and information. Discovery Education Canada is also linked to the new B.C. curriculum and through the Science tech-book section, students can find particular information about different units of study, learn science vocabulary words, do practice quizzes and watch informative videos. As it can be an expensive addition, I recommend adding it as a 1 year trial and perhaps seeing if other schools in the district would like to add it as well on a trial basis to bring the cost down per school.


STEP 3

The third step in the plan of action is to work with students using the online reference resources. This may look like collaborative blocks with the Teacher-Librarian in the Library Learning Commons using the Online Resources for Inquiry Based Learning Projects. Regular lessons with the Teacher-Librarian in the Library Learning Commons will help students and staff become familiar with the online references and their resource capabilities. As Riedling states, in Reference skills for the school library media specialist, “The Library Learning Commons must connect kids and adults to the wider world beyond the school by providing the audio and video communication technologies that build bridges between people and places all over the world.”


The Timeline

The Timeline for this change is 10 months and is recommended to take place the following school year. The majority of the changes will be implemented by the Teacher-Librarian at School X with the support of the Administrator. The changes will be communicated on the school website, school newsletter, staff meetings and with individual classroom teachers and students while learning about and using the existing and new resources.


“Providing information resources and assistance virtually is important for students who are completing projects and homework assignments after hours” (Riedling, Ann).


                                        References


Canadian Libraries Association. Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. 2014.Ottawa, ON: Canadian Libraries Association.


Riedling, Ann, Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Edition). Linworth.

Image courtesy of Virtual Learning Commons and Social Media

Use of Reference Resources

For the purpose of this assignment, I will be discussing two fictitious elementary school teacher’s teaching practice. Specifically, I will be looking at their effective use of reference resources with their class and offer suggestions on how the two teachers can evolve their teaching practice to further engage student learning and inquiry.


Teacher X

I will begin by discussing Teacher X who is a digital immigrant (Marc Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”. When Teacher X graduated from high school, the internet was just being invented. He has been an elementary school teacher for approximately 25 years. Teacher X’s class does all of their classwork with paper, pencil and textbooks. Their homework is written on the whiteboard daily with term previews sent home on paper to parents. Most of the textbooks they are using have outdated information and the students alternate between 3 different textbooks to find information that applies to the new curriculum. When Teacher X’s class is working on a report, students sign out books from the library to assist them in research. Occasionally the class will visit the computer lab, which is slowly being disassembled with the advent of more laptops being acquired, and the students will go to Wikipedia to find information for their projects.


Teacher X’s teaching practice is routine and he has not attempted to incorporate technology into the classroom although he has been thinking he should try to add some learning that involves technology into his classroom. According to the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) approach to change (Susan Loucks-Horsley), Teacher X is in the self-concerns stage of questioning and asks questions regarding change such as: What is it? & How will it affect me? On the Typical Expressions of Concern about an Innovation table, Teacher X is at a 0.5 level stage of concern about innovation which is in between Awareness and Informational (Awareness being, “I am not concerned about it” and Informational being, “I would like to know more about it”). In terms of Levels of Use of the Innovation, this teacher is at a 0-Non-Use Level of Innovation (The User-has no interest, is taking no action). If we look at the SAMR model of Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (Dr. Ruben Puentedura). ,Teacher X is at Level 1-the Substitution Level.

image courtesy of Dr. Ruben Puentedura

In his classroom, computer technology is used to print out worksheets which are filled out and handed in to Teacher X for marking. There has been no functional change in teaching or learning in Teacher X’s class with the increased amount of innovation and technology available. (SAMR model developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura).



An Approach to achieving a higher level of integrating Reference Resources for Teacher X
As Teacher X is at a low level of integration of innovation, I would offer support by inviting Teacher X and his class into the library learning commons to use the laptop cart to do some research with some of the digital resources available through the district. I would model to the class how to access the digital reference resources online available through the district such as, World Book Encyclopedia Kids, World Book Encyclopedia Students, World Book Science Power and Discovery Education Network, Learn 360, KnowBC.com, Follett shelf ebooks, National Geographic Kids, and Primary Schools Explora. I would also model how to type in keywords to a search engine and evaluate websites for their trustworthiness and quality of information. After guiding the students through accessing digital resources, I would also offer teacher X more support in the following ways as “Learning brings change and supporting people is critical for learning to “take hold””.(Professional Development for Science Education: A Critical and Immediate Challenge," by Susan Loucks-Horsley). One of the ways I would offer support would be to offer weekly lunch-hour technology and innovation workshops for the staff in the library learning commons for hands-on-learning and practicing with the different digital reference resources. To supplement this, I would print out the information for paper takeaways of the names of different digital reference research tools and how to access them along with passwords and step by step instructions. I would also arrange for class coverage so that Teacher X could visit other classes in the school or district that are using digital reference resources in their classroom learning and how it is benefiting student learning. Regularly, I would check in with Teacher X to see how it’s going, and if he has any questions about the online reference resources. I would also let him know about district workshops that are available on using digital resources and try to arrange a small group from the school to attend the workshop so that we could carpool and he would have colleague support. As Susan Loucks-Horsley states in her discussion about The Concerns Based Adoption Model, “kinds and content of professional- development opportunities can be informed by ongoing monitoring of the concerns of teachers”. Through this process, I would also refer to The Leading Learning Standards of practice document for School Library Learning Commons


http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/fostering-literacies/, in particular the section on fostering literacies and information literacies using reference resources.







Teacher Y

Teacher Y is a digital native. He used the internet for research at University and is very comfortable with technology including i pads, i phones, laptops, blogs, and social media, including twitter. He has been an elementary teacher for 5 years. Teacher Y has a classroom that uses technology daily. He posts daily homework on the app Edmodo where students can access homework using a electronic device as well as ask the teacher questions. The students in Teacher Y’s class do most of their writing and reports using google docs. They can access their work with any device as long as they remember their password.Teacher Y uses his laptop to write morning messages and news on upcoming events for the students as well as uploads interesting videos tidbits of information for students to watch as the morning message is played by a rotating student helper. Teacher Y regularly has his class do inquiry projects and signs out the laptop cart for students to do online research. To date, his students have done online research with World Book Encyclopedia Kids accessible through the school districts digital resources.


Teacher Y uses formative assessment in his classroom and his students are constantly viewing their progress and uploading samples of work to Fresh grade. Through formative assessment, students know what goals they are working towards and are active managers of their learning.


Teacher Y has seen how teaching practice has changed the last few years and he has tried to make it his practice to incorporate many of the new models and techniques into his classroom. According to the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) approach to change, Teacher Y is in the Impact Concerns Stage of Questioning and asks questions regarding change like; Is this change working for students? And Is there something that will work even better? On the Typical Expressions of Concern about an Innovation table, Teacher Y is at a #4 Consequence level stage of concern about an innovation and he is asking questions like; How is my use affecting learners? And How can I refine it to have more impact? In terms of Levels of Use of the Innovation (Po-Sen Huang), this teacher is at a IVB -Refinement stage where the user is making changes to increase outcomes. If we look at the SAMR model of Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition, Teacher Y is at Level 3 -the Modification Level. In Teacher Y’s classroom, common classroom tasks are being accomplished through the use of technology. (ie, homework on the classroom blog, or Edmodo, students submit writing assignment through google docs, etc.). Students are able to proofread each others writing on google docs, and may be collaboratively writing something with a partner, while each being at their own house. Students are taking more ownership over their learning at this level.



An Approach to achieving a higher level of integrating Reference Resources for Teacher Y


An approach to taking Teacher Y to the next level would be first of all to begin sharing some of his Principles of Learning and Teaching techniques that he’s been using with the rest of the school community. I would ask him if he would be willing to co-present at a school pro-d with myself, some of the technology and innovation he’s been using in the classroom and how he’s been using online reference resources to support his student’s learning. I would ask him if he’d like to schedule some time in the library learning commons with his class to explore online reference resources such as Discovery Education Network. Although he has frequently used online World Book Encyclopedia and other online encyclopedias with his students for research, he had not explored the capabilities of the interactive student boards on Discovery Education Network. With this type of inquiry learning, students can create an interactive online board for a subject they are researching and asking questions about. They can attach video clips, images, and notes on the board regarding their topics.

Example of digital student research board created using Discovery Education Network Reference Resource

This type of activity takes the facts that they gather from online reference materials and makes a online presentation with it which further solidifies the students understanding. We would also look at Discovery Education Science Techbook which is linked to B.C.'s new curriculum and teachers can go into the grade level and use it to supplement teaching. Students can use it to learn more about vocabulary words, listen to video clips take practice quizzes and explore the topic further.

Discovery Education Science Techbook

Once Teacher Y is familiar with some of the other learning opportunities from reference resources, he could collaborate with another teacher in his grade and team teach using these resources. The students from his class could partner up with a students from the other class to create a digital board to share or collaborate on or team teach Science using Science techbook. I would also continue to check in with Teacher Y to answer questions and show him any new reference materials that were available online or offer new suggestions on how to further student engagement and learning. I would also support Teacher Y by collaborating with him on the Leading Learning document. We would focus on cultivating effective instructional design to Co-plan, Teach and Assess Learning. We would focus on various themes by looking at the leading into the future column as Teacher Y is well on his way to evolving his practice and incorporating change to strengthen student learning and engagement.




References


Huang, Po-Sen. Concerns-Based Adoption Model-Levels of Use. This is the Levels of Use website Link.


Leading Learning- Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. 2014. This is the Website Link


Loucks-Horsley Susan Loucks. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. 1996. This is the website link.


Puentedura, Ruben. SAMR Model-Technology is Learning. This is the website link

The Reference Interview

The Reference Interview

.

video: Kansas City Public Library-youtube

The Reference Interview

One of the jobs of a teacher-librarian is to determine what a students wants through conducting a reference interview. The reference interview is essentially a conversation between the teacher-librarian and the students to help determine the information the student requires . Many times when a student comes to the library, they may not even be sure what they are looking for or where to begin to look. Teacher-librarians help bring student and information together (Reidling).Teacher-librarians who are good listeners, approachable, and have good interpersonal skills are more likely to be able to determine quickly and efficiently what the information is that the student needs. In the book,  Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Edition) by Ann Reidling, Reidling says “reference interviews consist of rules, methods, & characteristics. They are not only a art, but also a science. It can be learned and practiced to produce effective results for

students".

Skills for giving a great Reference Interview

Tangible Skills: these are the ones that can be practiced and improved upon:

Non-verbal skills:

• Being approachable                                             
• Friendly Tone of voice
• Make Eye contact
• Friendly Gestures & Facial expression
• Good Posture

Verbal Skills:

• Be positive and respectful
• Use motivational words and be encouraging
• Have positive reactions
• Avoid premature answers or opinions

Intangible Skills: attitude, appearance, and experiences

(Reidling, Chapter 9)

The 3 Types of Reference Interviews:

Ready Reference Interview

Research Project Interview

Readers Advisory Interview

The Research Project Reference Interview is a great place to teach students information literacy skills. When students use search engines to look for information for a research project, some of the information obtained from the web may be inaccurate or invalid. Teacher-librarians can teach students how to sort through the information to determine which sites are trustworthy and accurate information.

courtesy of virtuallibrary.info

REFERENCES:

• Riedling, Ann, Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, (Third Edition). Linworth.

Assignment 1: Evaluation of a Reference Work


PART 1:

Reference materials are valuable resources in the school Library Learning Commons for providing students with information for research projects and inquiry projects. However, it is important to constantly evaluate reference materials whether they be textual or digital for their quality of information, currency, and relevancy.

For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to evaluate a Science encyclopedia reference book from the elementary school Library Learning Commons as Science is a subject that is constantly evolving. Therefore, it can be challenging for teacher-librarians to keep current, relevant Science reference materials in the Library Learning Commons. The Science reference book I am evaluating is titled The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. The Science encyclopedia has 10 chapters which cover the following topics: Planet Earth, Living Things, Human Biology, Chemistry and the Elements, Materials and Technology, Light and Energy, Forces and Movement, Electricity and Electronics, Space and Time, and Conservation and the Environment. The Encyclopedia was published in the year 2000 and has 488 pages. It is a fairly heavy book weighing about 7 pounds and thus would not be practical for a student to easily carry home in his/her backpack. The elementary school Library Learning Commons where it is housed serves students from Kindergarten to grade 5.





In order to evaluate this resource for its relevancy, purpose, currency, curriculum connections and efficient use of library space, I have created the following rubric:


Excellent Science Resource
-copyright date of 0-5 years old

 -many connections to B.C.’s Science curriculum

 -most of the text is extremely relevant to today’s world

  -the Science resource uses library space efficiently

  -the Science resource is written for an Elementary School audience



Average Science Resource

-copyright date of 6-10 years old

-some connections to the B.C. Science curriculum

-some of the text is relevant to today’s world

-the Science resource somewhat uses library space efficiently

-the Science resource is written for a slightly older audience than Elementary School (ie- middle school)



Poor Science Resource

-copyright date of 11 years or older

-hardly any connections to the B.C. Science curriculum

-most of the text is not relevant to today’s world

-the Science resource does not use library space efficiently

-the Science resource is not written for an Elementary school audience (ie- High School, or Adults)


After evaluating The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, it scored the following scores according to the above rubric:

copyright date: POOR (18 years old)

connections to Science curriculum: AVERAGE

relevancy to today’s world: POOR

using Library space efficiently: POOR

written for a Elementary audience: AVERAGE


Overall this gives The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia a score of POOR-AVERAGE.


Copyright Date:
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia from the Elementary School Library Learning Commons has a copyright date of 2000 and according to Lethbridge School District Library handbook, Science books are out of date within 5 years, with the exception of Botany and Natural History Science. Likewise, encyclopedias in general, are out of date within 5 years of being published. Since this encyclopedia was published 18 years ago, it scores a POOR on the rubric for having up-to-date information.

Connections to the B.C. Science Curriculum:
In terms of connections to the curriculum, I referred to the grade 5 Science Curriculum, as this text would not be suitable for any grade lower than grade 5. Some of the new grade 5 Science curriculum is touched on in this Science Encyclopedia such as information about body systems, solids & solubility, simple machines & complex machines. However this Science Encyclopedia is lacking information related to the Science 5 curriculum such as power and the rate at which energy is transformed, local types of earth materials, First Peoples concept of interconnectedness in the environment, and First Peoples knowledge of sustainable practices. For this reason, this text scored an AVERAGE for connections to the grade 5 curriculum.

Relevance of text to today’s world:
Since the date when the Science Encyclopedia was published was 2000, much of the information is outdated and not as relevant to today’s world. In the Space section, there is a page on Pluto which is listed as the 9th planet, which since then has been removed as a planet. Likewise there is a section on climate change which was just beginning to be touched on in 2000. In 2018, climate change has become a larger and more serious topic and much more information is now. The Medical Technology section talks about prosthetics and cat scans which have also changed in 18 years so although the information is still relevant it’s not 100% relevant to 2018. In the last couple of years they are making prosthetics with 3d printers which is not touched on in the encyclopedia at all. Although some of the information is still relevant, the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia scored a POOR score in this area as many of the topics have become irrelevant in 2018.

Uses Library space efficiently:
Due to the size and weight of the Science Encyclopedia is does not use space efficiently. The book is approximately 7 lbs so it is not easily handled by 10 years old's taking on and off the library shelf or carrying home in their backpacks. Therefore it scored a POOR.

Written for an Elementary School audience:
This text is from a school library which serves K-5 students. According to Macmillan publishers, this reference encyclopedia is recommended for children aged 10-14. Since the oldest children in the school are 10 years old, this text would only serve the grade 5’s and some of the vocabulary in the text is too advanced for a grade 5 audience, which is why it scored an AVERAGE.



PART 2:

The resource that I recommend to best replace The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia is World Book Science Power. This is an online Science resource where students can find vast amounts of information in text format, interactive animations, photos and videos.



Photo courtesy of World Book Science Power


After evaluating The World Book Science Power Online Resource, using the same rubric as I used for The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, World Book Science Power scored the following:


Copyright Date: EXCELLENT
-2018- information is constantly updated to reflect current findings and information

Connections to the B.C. Science Curriculum: EXCELLENT
-is aligned with B.C. New Science Curriculum
-provides framework to support the Big Ideas in the B.C. Curriculum
-promotes critical thinking questions
-ask a Scientist videos are based on the B.C. Curriculum’s big ideas
-students are able to ask a scientist their own questions related to the topic
-review feature takes facts and new knowledge back to big idea in curriculum
-how much do you know feature has vocabulary review, lesson review, great for individual students to figure out if they get the big idea from the curriculum
-student-centered and empowers students be in control of their learning process

Relevance of Text to today’s world: EXCELLENT
-content is current and connected to to curriculum

Uses Library Space Efficiently: EXCELLENT
-digital content can be accessed from anywhere with the internet and a mobile device.
-resource takes up no physical space in the library learning commons
-is not cumbersome for students to carry or haul off the shelf

Written for an Elementary School Audience: EXCELLENT
-the text has an option of at grade reading-level or below grade level reading-level
-read-aloud narration of text option available if desired
-there is a variety of text and visual multimedia to appeal to visual learners
-the wording and text is appropriate for 10 year olds


After inquiring with a couple of emails about the yearly subscription costs, for a single Library Learning Commons to have digital access to World Books Science Power, I am still waiting for a confirmation of price. Early reports on the Internet, indicated that most World Book Encyclopedias online were about $250 year subscription cost but this is not 100% confirmed as of yet.


References:


Lethbridge School District Library Handbook. 2007.

http://www.lethsd.ab.ca/documents/general/Library%20Handbook%20updated%20April%202007.pdf



Demo- World Book Science Power- Teacher Use- Vimeo

https://vimeo.com/251408719



World Book- Science Power

https://international.worldbook.com/science-power/

                               Lib.467- Theme 1 Blogpost


                                 Too Much Information!!!  

Information overload is what students are faced with in the 21st century. Thankfully with the help of a teacher-librarian and reference services in the School Library Learning Commons, the teacher-librarian can assist the student in how to best word a query search using a search engine. It is important to think about key-wording when using a search engine as it will yield low recall and high precision of information if worded correctly. Teacher-librarians are an indispensable link between students and vast amounts of information.

I believe what continues to be one of the most important topics for teacher-librarians to teach students is how to become information literate and how to determine if sites on the internet are trustworthy, biased, or are written by authors with authority on the subject.

image courtesy of http://upslis.info

My favorite websites used to teach students how to evaluate a website for being a "trustworthy" source of information are:  "All About Explorers" and "The Pacific Tree Octopus". These websites really help show students that you can't believe everything you read on the internet and how to be critical questioners and thinkers of the information they are viewing on the internet. The following video by Common Sense Media, outlines a great lesson plan for teaching students how to evaluate websites for trustworthiness, and bias.

                                            Common Sense Education. Published on Oct.23,2014.


              To Use Wikipedia or Not to Use Wikipedia???
                                   That is the Question!

This is a question I still struggle with. Is Wikipedia a worthy reference for students doing research? The big concern of course is that anyone can be an author of Wikipedia and the information retrieved may be written by a person that is not knowledgeable on the subject. The advantage is that it is quick, easy to use, students love it, and generally the information is close to correct as there are millions of authors that are continually editing and updating the information. After much thought, my current stance is that Wikipedia does deserve a place in the Library Learning Commons as a starting point for research. With the guidance of a teacher-librarian the student can then be directed through the research process to other sources with proven authority such as periodical databases, online references, and digital libraries.

As educators, one of our main goals is to help students become fluent in critical inquiry skills. The "Points of Inquiry Model" for research is a type of research model where active learning takes place with students "asking questions" and helps students to develop the skills to solve problems and think critically, which is essential for the 21st century workplace. I find the component of reflection  a really valuable aspect of the inquiry process as it allows for deeper understanding of the topic and learning as well as thinking about what went well and what didn't for next time.

image courtesy of the B.C. Teacher-Librarian Association

If we think about inquiry based learning, we think of igniting students curiosity and asking good questions. Using the "Point of Inquiry Model", teacher librarians help students take their "questions" and find the best reference sources of information to answer those questions. The following video is a great example of "Points of Inquiry" research in action in a classroom

image courtesy of teachthought.com

courtesy of yanglish.wordpress.com

This is a Test

  It start’s with a Book! 

    How can we inspire children to take action to make the world a better place?

  It starts with a BOOK!

About three months ago, a teacher at my school asked if I could order a book for the library entitled “One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia“. I looked into it, found it was available and went ahead and ordered it for the library. About that same time, the grade 4 teacher was doing an inquiry project with her class on the effects that plastic is having on our earth, particularly plastics that are ending up in oceans and harming wildlife. I’ve always been concerned about the environment and try to do my part to recycle, compost, and  reuse, but when this book ended up in my lap I couldn’t help but be extra inspired by it to change my ways and reduce my use of plastics even more. Not only is this a true story of how women in Gambia made a difference in their community by turning a problem into a solution by dealing with discarded plastic bags, but the book fit in perfectly with what the grade 4 class had been doing in Science with their inquiry project surrounding Earth Day. The students so far had written to the local mayor to ask her to ban plastic straws in the city and reduce use of disposable plastic shopping bags. The students were coming up with solutions on how to deal with the problem of plastics in the ocean and had enthusiasm, concern, and determination to make a difference to the problem of plastics in the ocean. When the grade 4’s were read the book, “One Plastic Bag”, they were further empowered to make a difference and try to create change. Sometimes the right picture book at the right time about creating change for a better world can create a wave of ideas and interest on how to make it happen. This picture book reminded me of the power that books can have in creating world change and finding solutions for difficult world problems.

This book was the starting point for me for compiling a literature canon for children which includes books that inspire children to take action to make the world a better place.

This led me to the graphic novel “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” by Rachel Hope- Allison. Since the grade 4’s have made special presentations to many classes in the school and have hung posters everywhere reminding us to reduce our use of plastic, this graphic novel also inspires us to think about how our use of plastics is effecting the oceans. Also a graphic novel format, it is a genre that connects well with more reluctant readers on this important topic.

The school that I work at has a high South Asian population of approximately 75% of the school community.  With this in mind, I wanted to find some inspiring  books with main characters of South Asian decent who have helped create positive change in the world. The book titled “Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story” by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus is a book that connects with a South Asian audience as well as readers around the world inspiring them to think before they act as their actions will affect others. This picture book also teaches students about the core value of respect in terms of being respectful of material things and not wasting them. Teaching core values such as respect, kindness, empathy, courage, perseverance, and determination is something we are addressing at the school I work at. Books provide a great tool for teaching these important character traits.

This leads me to the next book which also has a strong South Asian character and is based on a true story. The novel Iqbal by Francesco D’Adamo, tackles the difficult subject of child slave labor from the first hand view of Iqbal who suffered abuse as a child in a carpet factory forced to work long hours sometimes chained to the carpet loom. After a teacher does a read-aloud of the story, this story lends itself well to the students having “Grand Conversations”, (Province of Ontario. April 2011, Grand  Conversations in Primary Classrooms). “Grand Conversations” develop critical thinking skills as opposed to “Gentle inquisitions” by the teacher where it is mostly the teacher introducing his/her opinions of the message of the book. When students are taught what rich talk about text might sound like, they are able to achieve higher-level comprehension of text and have more authentic lively discussion about the book (Eeds & Wells, 1989). A combination of rich authentic discussion and characters in the book which are South Asian would offer a much stronger connection to the students at this school who are predominately South Asian as opposed to European children’s classics with very little or no South Asian characters or connection to the region.

The story of Malala, is another powerful book to inspire children , especially girls, on how they have the power to make a difference in the world. Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, is a picture book based on a true story, with a strong female Pakistani character named Malala Yousafzai who is a activist for female education in Pakistan. This book will especially connect with the large number of  students at our school who are South Asian girls.

The picture book “Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel is another true story of a young female Ukrainian immigrant activist rallying for change against the garment industry for unfair treatment against girls and women. She lead the largest women’s walkout and strike in 1909 and is a great role model for girls and women of the change one women can make in the world. Many of the students at the school are immigrants to Canada and this story is inspirational to a immigrants and non-immigrants.

When many women work together cooperatively in a community, positive long-lasting global change can occur as in the case with the inspiring picture book titled Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli. This is the true story of Wangari Maathai who is a activist, an environmentalist, and a strong west African women who was the first African women to win the Nobel Peace prize. Since there are a few African-Canadian families at the school I work at, it is especially important to have some stories with strong African characters. Mama Miti identified a problem in her home of Kenya (there were not enough trees, which was causing erosion of the soil, and dirty drinking water), and identified a solution ( plant 30 000 000 trees with the help of many women and children in the region).

Every September, we celebrate and acknowledge the difference that people with disabilities can make in the world, specifically Terry Fox, who had a dream to make a difference by raising money for Cancer research by running across Canada on one leg. People who have overcome great obstacles and made a positive change in the world are an inspiration to all of us. Therefore, I believe books with characters with disabilities should be in all canons of children’s literature, no matter what the school demographic as people with disabilities are cross-cultural and their stories should be shared to inspire others to show what people can achieve with determination. The novel Run by Eric Walters is one of these books which tells the story of Terry Fox and his incredible courage and determination.

Another great story is the Picture Book, Emmanuel’s Dream: The Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson, is a true story of a boy born in Ghana, with one deformed leg who rode almost 400 miles across Ghana to spread the message that disability is not an inability.

I also found the novel “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” by William Kwamba very inspiring which is another true story about a boy from Africa. This book also connects with the Makerspace theme we have happening at our school. With a little bit of tinkering and resourcefulness amazing life changing outcomes can occur. When William used recycled parts to build a windmill that generated electricity in his poor African village devastated by drought, he helped his family and village survive and have a better future. One of the main themes in the book is perseverance which is and important core value and character trait to teach the students about.

Continuing on the theme of tinkering and recycling, I have included the story called “Ada’s Violin: The story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay” by Susan Hood. This picture book shows students what can be done with what others see as garbage. It is the inspiring story of a group of children who grew up near a landfill and had their lives changed by making instruments from recycled materials from the landfill and eventually going on tour and playing with a famous band. This picture book teaches students about determination as well as the power that innovation can have over changing lives. After reading this book aloud, the classroom teacher could then do a trans-mediation project with the class. “Students take what they understand from reading the book and transfer this understanding into a visual or a music form” (Leland, Christine. Teaching Children’s Literature-It’s Critical). Maybe they might create their own musical instrument from recycled trash that plays music, or maybe they might paint a picture of music filling the air surrounding the landfill. 

When a group works together, whether it be a village, a school, or a community the results can be very inspiring. In the picture book “Follow the Moon Home” by Philippe Cousteau, one student sees a problem and with the help of her school class, helps  to find a solution. The main character Vivienne, inspires students to be activists to help solve a problem in their community. Vivienne inspires her classmates to begin a campaign to educate people about how to keep baby sea turtles safe during hatching season. Perhaps after reading this book a-loud, the students could create a Google Docs or Powerpoint presentation about real life examples of communities that have protected turtle nesting areas. Students could  also invent another solution to save turtles on beaches where it is impossible to fully turn out the lights during nesting season. Using technology to respond to literature is another multimodal response. “It is important that we use a variety of communication forms to reach the wide variety of students we teach”. Leland, C., Lewison, M., & Harste, J. (2012). Multimodal responses to literature. In Teaching children’s literature: It’s critical. Taylor andFrancis, p. 125-236.

A wonderful picture book about a boy who stutters is called “A Boy and a Jaguar” by Alan Rabinowitz. This is an empowering book that shows a character with a physical disability of stuttering who makes a connection with animals and goes on to be an advocate for animal protection. Because of his request for action, the first jaguar conservation area was set aside in Belize. I know a number of students will connect with this book at our school. We have two children who regularly stutter so it is nice to have a character in a book who also has a speech challenge. This story also shows a character who displays a lot of courage. Despite his speech challenge and being nervous talking in front of new people, he was able to gather enough courage to make a presentation to a panel of governments about jaguars being trophy hunted which resulted in a jaguar preservation area being set aside.

The novel “Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson is an inspiring picture book of the power of the human spirit. When a mountain climber in North America loses his way in the mountains of the Himalayas,  a small village saves his life by taking care of him. Their generosity and kindness inspires him to raise money and donations to go back to Pakistan and build a school in their small mountain village. Over the next few year, he continued to build many schools in Pakistan and made a difference to many children’s lives. I chose this story for my personal literature canon as it takes place in Pakistan where many children at the school I work at have a connection to. Also it teachers students the character trait of kindness and compassion and shows children how each of us can change many lives for the better.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Findley Mosca is an inspiring story about a girl with autism. I chose this book for my literary canon as there are a few students at the school  I work at with autism spectrum and the story is inspirational as the main character becomes a powerful voice in modern science. Also, the character is a visual thinker which connects to many of those students who are visual thinkers. Because of the way the main characters brain works and because of her connection to animals , she grew up to become a scientist who came up with groundbreaking inventions for farms around the world. This book is also a reminder of the importance of using multimodal responses to literature. Some students brains can process and respond to literature on a much deeper level using art, or music as opposed to a written response. Therefore it is critical to offer a variety of multimodal responses to literature. “Multimodal responses are more than a nice “extra” in our literacy program. They provide the means for students to create new identities and get their voices heard.” Leland, C., Lewison, M., & Harste, J. (2012). Multimodal responses to literature. In Teaching children’s literature: It’s critical. Taylor andFrancis, p. 125-236.

Books are a powerful instruments for creating social change and inspiring children to make a difference in the world. The books I have included in my children’s literature canon are books which connect to our multi-cultural community with a strong South Asian presence. Also, I have included books with people with disabilities and how they have overcome their disability and made a profound difference in the world despite their disability.  Thirdly, I have included books where characters have used resourcefulness and recycling to change a problem to a solution to inspire change. Finally, I have included books which in addition to  convey a message about making the world a better place, the books also teach important school wide character trait goals such as respect, empathy, compassion, kindness, integrity.

Literature Canon for an Elementary School  in North Surrey B.C. 

Cousteau, Philippe. Follow the Moon Home. Chronicle Books, 2016.

D’Adamo, Francesco. Iqbal. Aladdin, 2005.

Gandhi, Arun. Be the Change- A Grandfather Gandhi Story.Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016.

Hood, Susan. Ada’s Violin: The story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay. Simon and Schuster , 2016.

Hope-Allison, Rachel. I’m not a Plastic Bag- A Graphic Novel.Archaia, 2012.

Kamkwamba, William. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Puffin Books, 2016.

Markel, Michelle. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. Balzer and Bray, 2013.

Mortenson, Greg. Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea. Dial Books, 2009.

Mosca, Julia Finley. The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin. The Innovation Press, 2017.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya. Simon and Schuster, 2010.

Paul, Miranda. One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. Millbrook Press, 2015.

Rabinowitz, Alan. A Boy and a Jaguar. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014.

Thompson, Laurie Ann. Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. Schwartz and Wade, 2015.

Walters, Eric. Run. Puffin, 2003.

Yousafzai, Malala. The Magic Pencil. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2017.